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5-9-10
Zephaniah 3:14-17
● As I like to do traditionally, if you’re sitting next to your mother, lean
over and apologize to her right now…and
don’t act like you don’t know why!
Moms, say to your kids,
“Your sins are forgiven; go and sin
no more.” (husbands, lean over and apologize…simply because it’s a
good habit to get into!)
●
Of all the ways to celebrate moms, I have found none so unique (and so
disturbing) as the Presidential Declaration of 1971 in the Central African
Republic: President BoKass celebrated Mother’s Day by ordering the execution
of all men jailed for crimes against their mothers (maybe that has something
to do with the 5th commandment that talks about honoring your
father and mother and “living a long life”).
“DO YOU REMEMBER THE BLESSED ANNOUNCEMENT?”
(probably not “angelic”, maybe a “home EPT”).
1st time: “We’re gonna have a baby!”
2nd time: “I’m gonna get fat again!”
●
And, you were never quite sure how you were doing so, as parents, we always
look to measure ourselves against those parents who have been
“less successful” than we
have (i.e. Adam and Eve as the ‘go to’ family: our kids may not get along,
but at least the one hasn’t coaxed the other out into the field and killed
the other!)
● Zephaniah is given the often unenviable task of delivering a stern warning
to the nation of Israel for their failure to live as the unique people of
God.
● Israel has proven to the consummate ‘wayward child’
(in actuality, the story of the prodigal son is about Israel
wandering from God, only to be welcomed back as they came to their senses).
[Isaiah 1:2 “I reared children and
brought them up, but they have rebelled against me”.]
● Israel is God’s child (his son: Exodus 4:22). It’s the story of every son
or daughter who begins to interpret loving-boundaries as restrictive and
limiting; children who are eager to explore the possibilities presented and
test the extent of a parent’s patience!
● In the midst of Israel’s identity crisis (who they are, where do they fit,
etc.), Zephaniah is there with a message of comfort; an almost “motherly”
tenderness. He refuses to dwell on the present struggles and failures, but
determines to point them toward a more hopeful future.
● When we think about moms, I think about all the analogies in the Bible
which speak to us about God as
“father”; naturally, when we
think about fathers we think in terms of ‘maleness’ or ‘masculinity’.
Yet, we need to understand that God is ‘spirit’ (John 4:24);
therefore, he’s not bound by the limitations of gender. Our struggle to
understand God is most often found in the limitations of the words we use to
describe him.
So, if you ask, “Is God male or
female?”, the answer would be “yes”.
Genesis 1:26
“So let us make man in our image… So God created man in his own image, male
and female he created them”.
● We find Zephaniah’s writings portraying an image of God that is not only
characteristically ‘mighty and strong’, but also exhibits the qualities we
often associate with femininity (gentle, quieting, and even playful).
So, the God we most often address as “Father”, possesses all the
characteristics and expresses all the qualities of a good “Mother”.
~ Your greatest contribution to your children is the gift of your presence
(paradoxically, nothing more terrifying than her presence when you know
she’ll be waiting up!)
“The Lord your God is with you…” (present; available; accessible)
“with you”…
that’s where you’ll find mom; that’s where she’s most effective- right in
the middle of whatever’s happening! Recitals, practices, dental
appointments, etc.
● Moms are most often the parent who is able to calmly assess the situation
and determine the best response.
It didn’t take me long to discover that dads deal in ‘logic and rationale’;
moms deal with feelings.
~ Motherhood involves a balance of corrective discipline and gentle
reassurance.
Because you are so relational, you fight through the awkwardness of
the tension and keep reaching out to ensure that the relationship is in tact
(i.e. ‘I know your upset…, but do you
still love mommy?’)
vs.14,15-
you almost hear a different tone in God’s voice, don’t you? As if he is
equally relieved to be through with the discipline.
“… he is mighty to save.”
Sometimes ‘saving’ your children
means intentionally positioning yourselves in harm’s way (in nature, one of
the worst possible scenarios is for you to find yourself between a mother
and her young); sometimes it requires getting out of the way!
~ Mothers take great delight in their children.
Moms, you are usually the ones that celebrate the
“significantly-insignificant”
moments in your child’s life (dads celebrate accomplishment- moms just revel
in effort).
Mom’s delight “in their
children”… not for accomplishment or performance, just because they
belong to her (i.e. it’s why the dad cringes when the child blows their
lines, or hits the sour note in the recital; while mom sits poised with this
contented grin).
~ A mother’s unconditional love is the source of their children’s stability
and contentment.
“… he will quiet you with his love”.
● It’s what allows your kids to
‘rest’. It’s what allows them
to experience the pain of your disappointment without feeling they’ve been
rejected.
The picture of God that Zephaniah paints for us is one that’s decidedly
different from the one most often presented.
The passage is the image of a mom so caught up in the sheer delight of the
moment that she bursts into spontaneous song! Moms… ever make up silly
little songs about your kids while just reveling in them?
“rejoice over you”-
literally means ‘to spin around with
excitement’.
God sings over us! Singing songs about us is God’s loving response to
us!
►“Does your picture of God include a deity who takes great delight just in
being in the same room with you?”
►“Does he smile contentedly at your sincere efforts even when they prove to
be unsuccessful?”
► “Is it a picture of a God so in love with you and so secure in himself
that he can actually offer you praise? Does your God celebrate you?”
► “Would your God take you by the arms and spin you around the yard with no
fear of appearing undignified?”
► “Can you imagine a God who bursts into song because of you? Does your God
make up songs about you?” |
